KATHMANDU, August 14

Teachers on Friday staged a sit-in protest in front of district education offices across the country, demanding resignation of the Education Minister Chitra Lekha Yadav for not addressing their demands.

The protest programme was staged by Confederation of Nepalese Teachers’ to exert pressure on the government to fulfil their demands.

The teachers staged sit-in protest in front of DEOs across the country, except in Jumla and Solukhumbu, from 10:30am to 3:00pm, halting all regular work in the offices. Keshav Niraula, president, CNT, who organised a sit-in protest in front of Kathmandu DEO, said the teachers were forced to stage protest after the government failed to address their demands despite repeated pleas.

He said, “We submitted a memorandum to Education Minister Chitra Lekha Yadav on March 19 demanding fulfilment of our demands, followed by other reminders but in vain.” The teachers have demanded to give high priority to education sector in the upcoming constitution. He said, “We have sought a constitutional body for education sector — National Education Commission — in the constitution to address impending educational issues in the country.”

Their other demands include implementation of all the agreements reached in the past, amendment to the Education Act and Regulation, right to further education for students from technical and vocation stream, allowance for teachers working in remote areas, as well as school uniform allowance for teachers,among others.